For dates and commemorative occasions

The vibe

The crowd

The drinks

The food

Our Review

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.The restaurant’s warm interior is blissfully uncluttered, with sandstone-colored walls and woven wooden ceiling fixtures that recall the architecture of ancient tearooms.

What should we be drinking?Your drink choice here should be informed by your meal. Umami-rich sake, gently warmed in a pewter vessel, works especially well with the restaurant's signature dish, oden.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.Chef Mikio Takaishi's unique spin on the multicourse kaiseki feast will surprise you. The specialty at Ichigo is oden, a humble stew of simmered seafood and vegetables that's more frequently associated with casual izakaya pubs and convenience stores. It’s a bold menu choice for a two-Michelin-starred establishment, but Takaishi pulls it off with flair. The key is the dashi broth, which gets its oomph from freshly shaved bonito flakes. Choose from the ingredients listed on the hand-written menu—the airy hanpen fish cakes, daikon radish, and ebi-imo taro root are our favorites. The creamy sesame tofu, grilled tableside over charcoal embers, is a special treat.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?Chef Mikio Takaishi is a gracious host, and the restaurant lives up to its name, which is derived from the Zen expression “Ichi-go, ichi-e,” a literal translation of “one time, one meeting.” The saying comes from the tradition of Japanese tea ceremony, where every gesture is a meditation on the passing of time and the fleeting nature of existence. Each meal at Ichigo is an unforgettable experience: Ichi-go, ichi-e indeed